Pulse: Flatline
by SlyRebel82
Summary: The sequel to my story Pure Impulse. Everything has been going great for Will, AKA Pulse, but everything changes when his parents die and he is given custody of his younger brother, Rick, AKA his new sidekick Inferno. And they will have to work together to defeat a human bug, the Bug Man. Rated T for mild language and violence.


Issue 1: The Perfect Day

Ever since that night in Metropolis with One Shot, nothing has been the same. It seems like I'm a completely different person than I was eight months ago. I haven't been sleeping much, my "job" keeps me up all night. On the bright side things have been pretty quite in Metropolis lately. So quite that I've been going down to Gotham City to help out. I try not to go there too often though, Batman always gives me the evil eye. I don't know how the hell he finds me. Besides stopping petty crimes, I've been checking up on Gotham's newest resident, One Shot, who was admitted into Arkham Asylum a few months ago.

Things with me and Sarah couldn't be better, you'd think my life a superhero would get in the way with my love life, but it really doesn't. I mean I've had to skip going to dinner with her a few times to stop a bank robbery or something, but for the most part I have a lot of free time. Thank God I'm not the only crime fighter in the world. And anyways she's going to be moving in with me in a few weeks so we'll be seeing a lot more of each other anyways.

I still I feel bad about what I did to Linda, dumping her for her roommate is as low as it gets. And as if it couldn't get any more awkward, I have to work with her too. She replaced my old partner Terry Walker who was killed by One Shot when Project N.O.R.T.H. was going on. Terry is the reason I became a superhero in the first place. After he died I promised myself that I would help people in his name, that's what he would have wanted. I still keep in touch with his family, every month or so we have dinner or something. The past year has been pretty hard on them.

Work hasn't been kind of slow since S.T.A.R. Labs finally shut down Project N.O.R.T.H permanently. They've been searching around like crazy trying to find a project to put Linda and I on. Since work has been so slow I've taken a giant pay cut, and rent is expensive at my place, so I took a part time job at the police department as a forensic scientist. The pay there is almost nothing compared to what it I used to be getting, but for now it puts food on the table. Thankfully I won't be paying rent for much longer, Sarah and I found this house in the suburbs, nice place.

On my days off I like to take a walk around the block, and every time I pass Metropolis Jewelry. I've been contemplating on maybe asking Sarah to marry me and my credit is good enough that I can pay for it with a credit card. Normally I just walk past it, but not today. I have a good feeling about today.

As I walk into the store one of the employees stops me,"Can I help you find something Sir?" she asked.

"Um, yes. I was looking for an engagement ring for to give to my girlfriend," I said.

"Lets see what we got?" she directs me to the rings.

After about an hour of looking through rings we found the perfect ring and we go to the check out counter and I handed her my credit card. Everything was good to go so I took the ring and started for the door when a robbery started.

"Nobody move!" screamed one of the three thugs as he shot a gun off into the air, If one off you even flinches I'll make a hole the size of my thumb in your god damn head!"

I've heard about these guys. I read about them in the paper the other day. They call themselves the Rat Pack. They dress up like they're in the fifties and wear masks of Frank Sinatra's, Dean Martin's, and Sammy Davis Jr.'s faces.

Frank walks over to the crying cashier who is trying to hide behind the register. He grabs the lady and point a gun to her head.

"Listen lady, I ain't got much time so you give me the money out the drawer while my friends take all the jewels and gold you got," demanded Frank.

He threw the cashier aside and she started to put the money in the bag.

"You done yet boys?" asked Dean.

"Almost," answered Sammy.

These guys are pretty good. From what I've heard these guys are pros. Their plans are bulletproof, but they forgot to factor in one important variable, me. I frantically look around the room and try to come up with a plan. I see a fire extinguisher and the fuse box on the other side of the room, and that sparks an idea. The fire extinguisher is close enough to touch so by heating it up i should be able to make it explode. I place my fingertips on the extinguisher and a blast of foam and smoke fan out through the area and I dash to the fuse box while the thugs are distracted. I punch through the fuse box causing all the lights to turn off. It's almost completely dark.

"What happened to all the lights?" asked Sammy.

"How the hell should I know,"said Frank,"Just keep calm, everything is under control."

"Ha, yeah right," muttered Dean.

"What did you just say?" said an agitated Frank.

"Nothing boss," quickly answered Dean.

"Just keep your eyes peeled boys," ordered Frank as he watched towards the fuse box.

I hid behind the counter until Frank walked by, then I came up behind him and choked him out. The only noise where his muffled screams which I guess attracted the attention of the others, because now they really were on edge.

"Hey! What was that?" asked a very frightened Sammy.

"I don't know. I'll go check it out," Dean walks down the room and as he gets close I punch his lights out.

"Agh!" screamed Dean as he flew to the floor.

"Dean?" said now a terrified Sammy,"Dean was that you?" he hears no response,"Oh man, this sucks."

He walks around the room turning his head left and right to try to find me. He walks into a hostage he didn't see, grabs her, and points a gun to her head.

"You stay back, I got a hostage. You come any closer I'll kill her," said Sammy as he turns left and right as he tries to find me.

Time to think fast. I can't do a direct attack or he'll kill the hostage. What if I use a construct a bow and arrow? No that probably won't work. It's dark and I might miss and hurt the hostage. But wait what if I set up a trap that when he walks over will send him flying into the air and have him dangling by his foot like you see in cartoons? Yeah that might work.

I set the trap and wait for him to walk over it. It takes him about a minute for him to spring it and he flies into the air dropping both his gun and his hostage. He passes out from all the blood rushing to his head. I cut him down and tie him up with the rest of his friends. I construct my costume, I try not to construct my costume because it takes to much energy and focus to keep up, but I left up my costume at home. The cops are waiting outside.

"Officer, I took car of your 'rat' problem for you," I said to one of the detectives.

"Thanks Pulse, you did good kid," said Detective Mike Harvo. I've worked with him from time to time in both as a police scientist and a crime fighter,"Hey, how did you find these guys? We've been trying to track them down for a few months."

"What can I say? Right place at the right time I guess," I said,"Well anyways, you take care."

"Hey you too," said Detective Harvo.

I call Sarah and tell her to meet me on the roof of her building in an hour. I flew down to a some fancy restaurant and grabbed some food, then I went home to get the roof set up. Make it look real romantic, you know?

An hour has passed and we make our way up to the roof.

"What's all this?" asked Sarah.

"What we can't have dinner together?"

After an hour through the dinner I pop the question.

"Sarah, there is something I've been meaning to ask you," I get down on one knee and pull the ring out of my pocket,"Sarah Jane Parker, will you marry me?"

Her face lights up with excitement,"Yes, yes, a thousand times yes."

We kiss then finish the dinner and go down stairs to have some wine.

"This has got to be the happiest day of my life. Nothing could possibly ruin this," I said.

Just then a hear a knock at the door and I go to answer it. There is a cop at the door and standing next to him is my younger brother Richard.

"Sorry to bother you sir, but are you William Harris?" asked the cop.

"Yes, and what seems to be the problem officer?" I said.

"I'm sorry to the one to tell you this, but your parents have just died in a car accident and since you are the last reaming relative of your brother, you have been given custody of your younger brother until he is 18. I'm sorry for your loss," said the cop.

I just had to say something.


End file.
